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{{About|the city in Uttar Pradesh, India|}}{{Use Indian English|date=March 2015}}{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

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| subdivision_type = CountryIndia}}| subdivision_type1 = StateList of districts of India>District| subdivision_name1 = Uttar PradeshGhazipur district>Ghazipur| established_title = Settled| established_date = 350–400 BCE| founder = | named_for = | government_type = Municipal Council| governing_body = Ghazipur Municipal Council| leader_title = Chairperson| leader_name = Sarita Agarwal| unit_pref = Metric| area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 36.6| area_rank = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = www.censusindia.gov.in/, | population_as_of = 2011| population_density_km2 = | population_est = | pop_est_as_of = | population_urban = | population_urban_footnotes = | population_density_urban_km2 = | population_density_urban_sq_mi = | population_rural = | population_rural_footnotes = | population_density_rural_km2 = | population_density_rural_sq_mi = | population_metro = | population_metro_footnotes = | population_density_metro_km2 = | population_density_metro_sq_mi = | population_rank = 391| population_density_rank = Human sex ratio>Sex ratiofemale>♀/♂| population_density_blank1_km2 = | population_density_blank1_sq_mi = | population_blank2_title = | population_blank2 = | population_density_blank2_km2 = | population_density_blank2_sq_mi = | population_demonym = Ghazipuria| demographics_type1 = Languages| demographics1_title1 = OfficialIndian Standard Time>IST| utc_offset1 = +5:30Postal Index Number>PIN| postal_code = 233001| area_code = 91-548| area_code_type = Telephone code| registration_plate = UP-61| blank1_name_sec1 = | blank1_info_sec1 = www.ghazipur.nic.in/}}| population_density = Languages of India>Hindi & Urdu| demographics1_title2 = RegionalBhojpuri language>Bhojpuri| official_name = | image_map1 = | other_name =| nickname = City of Martyrs| established_title1 = Founded| established_date1 = 1330Incorporated community>Officially Incorporated| established_date2 = 1820}}Ghazipur is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ghazipur city is the administrative headquarters of the Ghazipur district, one of the four districts that form the Varanasi division of Uttar Pradesh. The city of Ghazipur also constitutes one of the seven distinct tehsils, or subdivisions, of the Ghazipur district.“Tehsil | District Ghazipur, Government of Uttar Pradesh | India,“WEB, Ghazipur, a city established during Tughlaqs,www.britannica.com/place/Ghazipur-India, Ghazipur is well known for its opium factory, established by the British East India Company in 1820 and still the biggest legal opium factory in the world, producing the drug for the global pharmaceutical industry.BOOK, Jeremy Paxman, Jeremy, Paxman, Empire:What Ruling the World Did to the British, 2011, Penguin Books, London, Chapter 3, Ghazipur lies close to the Uttar Pradesh-Bihar border, about {{convert|80|km|abbr=on}} east of Varanasi.WEB, Sir Sayed Ahmad Khan{{!, Books|url=http://www.sirsyedtoday.org/books/?cid=33}}

History

As per verbal and folk history,WEB,ghazipur.nic.in/history.htm, Ghazipur That is known as Gadhipuri, Ghazipur.nic.in, 8 April 2012, Ghazipur was covered with dense forest during the Vedic era and it was a place for the ashrams of saints during that period. The place is related to the Ramayana period. Jamadagni, the father of Parashurama, is said to have resided here.BOOK, Uttar Pradesh (India), Uttar Pradesh District Gazetteers: Ghazipur,books.google.com/books?id=UnAbAAAAIAAJ, 1982, Government of Uttar Pradesh, 15–16, Gautama Maharishi and Chyavana are believed to have taught and delivered sermons here in the ancient period. Buddha gave his first sermon in Sarnath,WEB,asi.nic.in/asi_monu_tktd_up_sarnath.asp, Sarnath Buddhist Pilgrimage – Ticketed Monument – Archaeological Survey of India, Asi.nic.in, 8 April 2012,asi.nic.in/asi_monu_tktd_up_sarnath.asp," title="web.archive.org/web/20120416091701asi.nic.in/asi_monu_tktd_up_sarnath.asp,">web.archive.org/web/20120416091701asi.nic.in/asi_monu_tktd_up_sarnath.asp, 16 April 2012, dead, which is not far from here.WEB,ghazipur.nic.in/placeofinterest.htm, Places of Interest of District Ghazipur, Ghazipur.nic.in, 8 April 2012, Some sources state that the original name was Gadhipur, which was renamed around 1330 after Ghazi Malik.WEB,www.britannica.com/place/Ghazipur-India, Ghazipur | India | Britannica, A 30 ft. high Ashoka Pillar is situated in Latiya, a village 30 km away from the city near Zamania Tehsil is a symbol of Mauryan Empire. It was declared a monument of national importance and protected by the archeological survey of India.WEB,asi.nic.in/asi_monu_alphalist_uttarpradesh_patna.asp, List of Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains of Patna - Archaeological Survey of India, 3 March 2017,asi.nic.in/asi_monu_alphalist_uttarpradesh_patna.asp," title="web.archive.org/web/20120508064601asi.nic.in/asi_monu_alphalist_uttarpradesh_patna.asp,">web.archive.org/web/20120508064601asi.nic.in/asi_monu_alphalist_uttarpradesh_patna.asp, 8 May 2012, dead, In the report of tours in that area of 1871–72 Alexander Cunningham wrote, “The village receives its name from a stone lat, or monolith”.WEB,www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/p/019pho000001003u00683000.html, Pillar with lion capital at Latiya, Ghazipur District,

Prehistory and legendary founding

According to tradition, Ghazipur was founded in 1330, but the place is probably older. The local tradition that the city was once called “Gadhipura” after a legendary king named Gadhi is probably spurious, but old building fragments found along the riverbank point to the existence of a settlement here, and a mound may represent the site of an old fort.BOOK, Nevill, H. R., Ghazipur: A Gazetteer, Being Volume XXIX of the District Gazetteers of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, 1909, Government Press, Allahabad,archive.org/details/dli.csl.2954, 19 June 2023, {{rp|158, 196}}The legend behind Ghazipur’s foundation in 1330 is that Raja Mandhata, a descendant of the Chauhan Maharaj Prithviraj Chauhan III, had founded a fort at nearby Kathot and ruled a small kingdom from there. His nephew, who was the heir to the throne, abducted a local Muslim young woman, and her mother pleaded for help to the Muslim sultan of Delhi. As a result, 40 ghazis led by one Sayyid Masud set out to attack Kathot. They took the place by surprise and ended up killing Raja Mandhata. The nephew mustered an army and fought two battles against the ghazis, but was defeated in both. The first battle took place on the bank of the Besu and the other was at the site of Ghazipur. Sayyid Masud, who was now given the title Malik us-Sadat Ghazi, founded a city on the site of the second battle and called it Ghazipur.{{rp|157–8}}

Early recorded history: 1400s and 1500s

Legends aside, Ghazipur’s first mention in contemporary sources is {{circa}} 1494, when Sikandar Lodi appointed Nasir Khan Lohani as the city’s governor. Ghazipur flourished during Nasir Khan’s long tenure. A new fort is said to have been built under his rule, replacing an older one at Hamzapur. A wave of immigration from Muslim settlers also began at this point and lasted until the late 1500s. New muhallas were built to house them.{{rp|159–60}}After Sikandar Lodi died, there was a rival claimant named Muhammad Shah (son of Darya Khan Lodi, the former governor of Bihar). At first, Nasir Khan stayed loyal to Sikandar’s son Ibrahim Lodi, but he was defeated by an army led by one Mian Mustafa, which then looted Ghazipur. At this point, Nasir Khan sided with Muhammad Shah, who restored him as governor. In 1527, Humayun led a force to Ghazipur while the main Mughal army under Babur was at Jaunpur; Nasir Khan fled, and Humayun occupied Ghazipur without resistance. He was recalled to assist Babur soon after, though, and Nasir Khan resumed control over Ghazipur. Nasir Khan submitted to Babur in person in 1528, after Babur took Gwalior, but Babur did not keep him as governor of Ghazipur. Instead, he gave the city to Muhammad Khan Lohani Ghazipuri, a relative of Nasir Khan who had joined Babur’s side earlier.{{rp|160–1}}During Akbar’s early rule, Ghazipur was held by Ali Quli Khan Zaman, who also founded the nearby town of Zamania. Ghazipur does not seem to have been affected by Khan Zaman’s first rebellion against Akbar in 1565. During his second revolt, Mughal forces under Jafar Khan Turkman attacked Ghazipur, but Khan Zaman fled. After Khan Zaman’s death in battle in 1567, Akbar put Ghazipur under Munim Khan’s control.{{rp|162–3}}In the Ain-i Akbari, Ghazipur was the capital of a sarkar in Allahabad Subah.{{rp|164}}

Later Mughals

After the Mughals solidified their control over Bengal, Ghazipur lost most of its political importance, and later sources mention it less. Under Shah Jahan, as well as during Aurangzeb’s early reign, Nawab Sufi Bahadur was governor of Ghazipur. He was succeeded by Nawab Atiqullah Khan, a native of Ghazipur who remained governor until Aurangzeb’s death. Ghazipur does not seem to have been affected by the war between Aurangzeb and Shah Shuja in 1567, or by the civil wars following Aurangzeb’s death. At some point after Farrukhsiyar’s death in 1719, sarkar Ghazipur was part of a large territory granted to one Murtaza Khan as a jagir. In 1727, Murtaza Khan in turn leased this territory to Saadat Ali Khan I, the first Nawab of Awadh.{{rp|166–7}}

Nawabs of Awadh

At first, Saadaat Ali Khan sub-leased these territories (Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Banaras, and Chunar) to his friend Rustam Ali Khan. Rustam Ali Khan had no interest in managing the territories himself, and someone named Mansa Ram ended up becoming the actual administrator. In 1738, Rustam Ali Khan was removed from office. Ghazipur was given to one Sheikh Abdullah, son of Muhammad Qasim, while the remainder was given to Mansa Ram.{{rp|167}}(File:William Hodges - A Mosque at Gazipoor (Ghazipur) - B1978.43.1754 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg|thumb|Drawing of a mosque in Ghazipur, 1781)Sheikh Abdullah left several monuments in Ghazipur: the Chihal Satun palace, a mosque and imambara, a masonry tank, and a large garden known as the Nawab’s Bagh. Abdullah died in 1744 and was buried in a tomb by the garden. His oldest son, Fazl Ali, was away, so a younger brother named Karamullah was installed as governor instead. Fazl Ali appealed to Nawab Safdar Jang and, in return for a payment of one lakh rupees, was allowed to replace Karamullah as governor. Fazl Ali was removed from office in 1747 following complaints of “oppression and misgovernment”, and Karamullah was restored, but he died a year later and Fazl Ali became governor again. Fazl Ali was again removed from office in 1754, but after his replacement proved ineffective he was restored for a third term. He was removed for the third and final time in 1757, and Balwant Singh, son of Mansa Ram, was given control of Ghazipur instead.{{rp|168–9}}Ghazipur remained under Balwant Singh’s son and successor Chait Singh, but the British deposed him in 1781. His successor, Mahip Narayan Singh, was essentially stripped of all administrative powers by the British, who established Ghazipur district in 1818.{{rp|170–1}}There were also quite a lot of Qazis in the area as well as Zamindars.WEB,indianculture.gov.in/gazettes/ghazipur-gazetteer-being-volume-xxix-district-gazetteers-united-provinces-agra-and-oudh, Ghazipur: A Gazetteer, being Volume XXIX of the District Gazetteers of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, Specifically in Yusufpur, a notable family would be the Ansari sheiks who had held such offices from the 1500s all the way till the late 20th century. Some notables would be Faridul Haq Ansari, Mushir Haider Ansari, Qazi Nizamul Haq Ansari, Khalid Mustafa Ansari and world famous crime master Mukhtar Ansari also is a well known part of this family.

Scientific Society of Ghazipur

In 1862, Syed Ahmed Khan established the Scientific Society of Ghazipur (which was later transferred to Aligarh), the first of its kind in India, to propagate modern Western knowledge of science, technology and industry. It was a departure from the past in the sense that education made a paradigm shift from traditional humanities and related disciplines to the new field of science and agriculture.WEB,www.sirsyedtoday.org/books/?cid=33, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan | Books, Sirsyedtoday.org, 8 April 2012, Some current institution like Technical Education and Research Institute (TERI),WEB,teripgc.com/about_us.html, Technical Education & Research Institute, Teripgc.com, 8 April 2012, dead,www.teripgc.com/about_us.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120409202046www.teripgc.com/about_us.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120409202046www.teripgc.com/about_us.html, 9 April 2012, part of post-graduate college PG College Ghazipur, in the city, takes their inspiration from that first Society.

Ghazipur at the turn of the 20th century

At the turn of the 20th century, Ghazipur was described as forming “a narrow belt” along the bank of the Ganges. Ghazipur proper extended for about 5.5 km along the river, from Khudaipura in the east to Pirnagar in the west; and about 1.5 km on the other axis, away from the river. West of Pirnagar was the large former cantonment area, which extended for another 4 km along the river. The main business quarter was along the riverfront, while most houses were away from the river. The town was described as generally rather poor, and its streets were winding and narrow. The riverfront, on the other hand, was described as “picturesque”, with a number of masonry ghats. On the west was Amghat, where the opium factory was located; other ghats further downstream included Collector Ghat, Pakka Ghat, Mahaul Ghat, Gola Ghat, Chitnath Ghat, Natkha Ghat, Khirki Ghat, and Pushta Ghat.{{rp|196–200}}The main road was the one coming in from Varanasi to the west. It went due east for about 1 km after entering the city, and this stretch was flanked by houses and shops on both sides. Near the entrance, it passed the tank and tomb of Pahar Khan; then the Bishesharganj marketplace; then the Qila Kohna, or old fort; and then the dispensary, which was built in 1881 atop an old mound that may represent an even earlier fort. Beyond this, the road passed through the Lal Darwaza neighbourhood, past the town’s sarai, and past the town hall (built in 1878) and adjoining mosque. Past this was the police station, and after that was Martinganj, a marketplace named after a former British official. After this point, the road bent sharply to the left, away from the river, for about 200 m. It then bent to the east to run parallel with the river.{{rp|196–200}}In this area was a major triple junction at Ghazi Mian, where the Varanasi road met with two others: one coming from Korantadih and Ballia to the east and another coming from Gorakhpur and Azamgarh in the north. From Ghazi Mian, a wide highway went south to the riverbank at Pushta Ghat, where a ferry crossed over to Tari Ghat on the other side. The Ghazipur City railway station was also near Ghazi Mian.{{rp|195, 9}}The main landmark along the main road in the Ghazi Mian area was the Chihal Satun, or “hall of forty pillars”, which was built by Abdullah Khan in the mid-1700s. The main road continued east through Razaganj and Begampur to the Ghazipur Ghat railway station on the eastern city limit.{{rp|200}}Meanwhile, across from the Chihal Satun, another major road split off toward the northeast, passing the Jami Masjid and “the Nawab’s garden, tank, and tomb” before joining the Korantadih and Ballia road, which then marked the city’s northern boundary. Near this point were the garden of Karimullah and the tank of Dharam Chand.{{rp|200}}

Geography

Ghazipur is located at {{Coord|25.58|N|83.57|E|}}.WEB,www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/36/Ghazipur.html, Falling Rain Genomics, Inc – Ghazipur, Fallingrain.com, 8 April 2012, It has an average elevation of 62 metres (203 feet).Rivers in the district include the Ganges, Gomati, Gaangi, Beson, Magai, Bhainsai, Tons and Karmanasa River.

Demographics

{{see also|List of cities in Uttar Pradesh}}{{As of|2011}} India census,WEB,www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999,www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999," title="web.archive.org/web/20040616075334www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999,">web.archive.org/web/20040616075334www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999, 16 June 2004, Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional), 1 November 2008, Census Commission of India, Ghazipur city had a population of 231607, out of which males were 121467 and females were 110140 Males constituted 52.445% of the population and females constituted 47.554% of the population. Ghazipur has an average literacy rate of 85.46% (higher than the national average of 74.04%) of which male literacy is 90.61% and female literacy is 79.79%. 11.46% of the population is under 6 years of age and the sex ratio is 904.WEB, “Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above”,www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_3_PR_UA_Citiees_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf, WEB, 2011 Census of India,www.censusindia.gov.in, WEB, 2011 Census of India,www.censusindia.gov.in/, {{bar boxWEBSITE=CENSUS 2011, 7 July 2017, |titlebar=#Fcd116|left1=Religion|right1=Percent|float=right|bars={{bar percent|Hinduism|darkorange|72.33}}{{bar percent|Islam|green|26.77}}{{bar percent|Christianity|blue|0.32}}{{bar percent|Sikhism|yellow|0.11}}{{bar percent|Others†|black|0.47}}|caption=Distribution of religions†Includes Buddhism (